Locomotive headlight assembly



Jan. 17, 1950 GANZERT 2,494,652

LOCOMOTIVE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY Filed May 27, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

17, 1950 A. E. GANZERT LOCOMOTIVE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 27, 1949 Patent'ed Jan. 17, 1950 PATENT. OFFICE LOCOMOTIVE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY Albert E. Ganzert, Chicago, 111., asslgnor; to Jeremiah D. Kennelly, Oak Park. 111.

Application May 27, 1949, Serial No. 95,798

: Claims.

This invention relates to locomotive headlights;

in particular it concerns'a novel headlight assembly incorporating lighting units oi the sealedbeam type. r An object of my invention is to provide a headlight assembly having a pair of sealed-beam lighting units wherein the lights are securely held in proper position during operation but in which means are provided for removal and replacement of such units without the use of tools.

Another object of my invention is to provide a headlight assembly adapted'for use with cabin-front locomotives, such as the well-known electric or Diesel types, whereby removal and replacement-of sealed-beam lighting units, and other service on the assembly, can be conveniently accomplishedfrom within the cab without the use of tools.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a locomotive headlight assembly which can be knocked down for service or replacement of sealed-beam units without the use of tools and without freeing small parts likely to be dropped or lost.

Other objects and advantages of my invention ,will appear as the specification proceeds.

My invention has been portrayed, in an illustrative embodiment, in the appended drawing, of which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a locomotive headlight assembly embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a side elevation view of the same headlight assembly; Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the locking studs employed in the embodiment of Fig. l; and Fig. 4 is a front elevation view of the headlight assembly shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the figures, my headlight assembly is carried by a master mounting ring iii, which is provided with apertures Ii adapted to permit its beingmounted within the headlight casing of a'locomotive. If desired, such mounting may be accomplished by the use of alignment springs i2, which provide a shock mount for the headlight assembly and at the same time permit its convenient adjustment to insure the beams being. transmitted in the desired direction.

The master mounting ring it is provided at its bottom portion with a backwardly extending shelf projection Ilia .on which one leaf of a hinge I5 is bolted. Around the rim of ring In from shelf Mia, and spaced symmetrically therewith, are a pair of bracket members 13. Members It also. extend backwardly from ring to and are bent inwardly at their rear ends and slotted to provide latch members 1311.

Securely bolted to the other leaf of hinge II I!" As is well known in the art, these unitsconsist is the main supporting frame II, which normally will be a casting of aluminum, magnesium, or some other light metal. It will be understood, of course, that any suitable material may be em- 5 ployed for supporting frame 14. Frame M is ,generally circular in shape, conforming to the shape of ring l0, and when frame It is swung up and forward towardring l0, frame It reaches a position coaxial to ring ID, as shown in Fig. 2. n the rim of frame It, at the proper points for co-operation with latch members l3a, are mounteda pair of thumb-screw captive bolts l8.

As may be seen from Fig. 2, captive bolts iii are provided with a shoulder member Ilia which is substantially larger in diameter than the aperture in frame I within which bolt I6 is carried.-

Thus, while bolt I6 is free to turn, it cannot be removed from frame M.

Member lGa is provided with a pair of projecting pins l6b which extend outwardv at right angles to the shank of shoulder member. "a. Member lBa, with its pins llib, will pass through the slot in latch member l3a if the pins are aligned with the slot. Thus, when frame It is Frame i4 is provided with a pair of'light receptacles ll adapted to receive sealed-beam lighting units. Each of the receptacles i! is provided with a rim it, raised above the flat surface of frame M but normally formed as an integral part of the casting i4.

40 In, the form of the invention-shown in the drawing, each of the rims I8 is provided with four notched studs 19. One of the studs i9 is shown in larger scale in Fig. 3, and its structure may readily be noted from that figure, especially when taken in connection with Fig. 1. As may be seen from Fig. 3, the notch in stud I9 is shaped to provide an opening a substantial distance downward along the shank of the stud, the notch extending inward-and upward toward the top of the stud. The width of the notch is formed to accommodate the shank of spring members 23, to be described in more detail hereinafter.

Within each of the lightreceptacles ll a sealed-beam light unit 20 is normally carried.

of integrally formed units comprising a reflector, a focusing lens, and an incandescent electrical lighting filament. They are normally manufactured with a conventional connecting plug or base; the rear portions of receptacles I! carry sockets for the reception of the plugs or bases on the sealed-beam units, and electrical connections to such sockets may be made through Fahnestock clips 2!, mounted on an insulated bracket 22 on the back of each of the receptacles i1.

The diameter of the fore portion of the receptacles I1 is somewhat greater than the diameter of the sealed-beam lighting unit, so as to accommodate the registration flange of receptacle cover 24. Covers 2 one for each of the receptacles 17, are flanged rings adapted to cooperate with rims ill of receptacles ii to hold the sealed-beam units securely in their proper positions; the covers 28 are hinged together by hinge 25.

Each of the covers 24 carries a pair of studs 26 in each of which a bar spring 23 is carried, by crimping, welding, or other secure means; the

stud 26 holds spring 23 at substantially its midpoint in each case; As may be seen from Fig. 1 or Fig. 4, the arrangement of the studs 19 and 2B, and the bar springs 23 is such that when each of the covers 2 is properly in position to secure beam units 20, the covers 29 may themselves be secured against movement by hooking the springs 23 into the slots in studs i9.

Operation In the operation of my invention, the covers may be removed by releasing the springs 23 from the studs 19. When the covers 24 are removed from light receptacles i'i, sealed-beam units 29 can be inserted in the conventional manner. Ring covers 2 are then placed back in position where they secure sealed-beam units 2t against movement or vibration, and covers 26 are then locked in place by placing the springs 23 under tension and slipping them into the slots in studs l9. This spring tension, combined with the action of the registration flange on the inner face of cover 24 in fitting snugly within the opening of receptacle ll, securely holds cover 24 against movement of any kind. The frame Hi can then be swung upward and forward into the operating position shown in Fig. l or Fig. 2, and thumbscrews Hi can then be given a one-quarter turn to lock the frame in operating position.

It should be noted from the foregoing descrip tion of the steps leading to the placing of my invention in service at either original or replacement installation of sealed-beam lighting units can be made from the inside of the locomotive cab when, as is customarily the case, the unit has been mounted in a cab-in-front locomotive. Moreover, complete knock-down of the apparatus or service or replacement of light units can be accomplished without the use of any tools, since both springs 23 and thumb-screws l8 can be easily manipulated with the fingers.

A still further advantage, of very great practical importance, is the fact that at no stage in the operation of my invention do any parts become physically detached from the assembly. This permits convenient service of the assembly under conditions of poor lighting, etc., which would normally, with prior-art apparatus, almost certainly lead to lost screws and bolts, and consequent irritation and delay.

It will, of course, be understood that a flexible electrical cable can be run to the Fahnestock clips 2i in order to permit convenient access to the receptacles H by loosening thumb-screws i6 and swinging the frame l i inward.

While I have in this specification described in detail for purposes of illustration one embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that numerous modifications in detail can be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a locomotive headlight assembly, a master mounting ring provided with means for attaching the same to a locomotive, said ring having also a stud on its rear side modified to receive a hinge and another stud modified to function as a latch member, a support frame having a pair of receptacles therein for receiving sealed-beam lights and being hinged to the master ring so as to permit its being swung to the rear thereof, finger-operable means co-operating with the latch member releasably to secure the frame in posii tion coaxial with the master link, and covers for the light receptacles hinged together, each of said covers being provided with locking means for releasably securing said cover to the frame independently of the other cover, the rims of said light receptacles being modified for co-operation with said locking means.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said locking means comprises a bar spring secured at its mid-point to the cover, the rim of the light receptacle being provided with notched studs for receiving the respective ends of the bar spring,

whereby the cover is secured to the light receptacle by spring tension when the spring ends are stressed for insertion within the notches.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 wherein said locking means comprises a bar spring secured at its mid-point to the cover, the rim of the light receptacle being provided with notched studs for receiving the respective ends of the bar spring, and wherein the finger-operable means co-operating with the latch member on the master mounting ring is permanently aifixed to the support frame, whereby the apparatus can be knocked down for service or replacement of sealed-beam units without the use of tools and without releasing any parts from the assembly.

ALBERT E. GANZERT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,266,554 Coleman et al May 21, 1918 138,079 Taylor et a1 Nov. 29, 1938 2 42,202 Kennelly Feb. 22, 1944 411,935 OFarrell Dec. 3, 1946 

